You're Thinking About Veo 3 All Wrong. Here's How to Fix Your Prompts.

The Biggest Mistake: Your Prompt is Just a Wish List

The Anatomy of a Prompt That Actually Works

1. Subject: Who or what is the star of your show? Be specific. Not "a man," but "a grizzled, old fisherman with a salt-stained beard & tired eyes." See the difference? One is a suggestion; the other is a character.
2. Context: Where is this all happening? Again, details are your best friend. Not "a city," but "a rain-slicked, neon-lit alley in a futuristic cyberpunk city." This tells the AI about the world your subject lives in.
3. Action: What is your subject doing? Use strong, evocative verbs. Don't say "the robot is working." Say "the robot meticulously assembles a complex, glowing device with nimble, metallic fingers." This brings movement & purpose to your scene.
4. Style: This is your aesthetic guide. What's the overall vibe? You can reference film genres ("in the style of a 1940s film noir"), art movements ("surrealist, dream-like atmosphere"), or even specific animation styles ("claymation," "8-bit retro"). This single element can dramatically transform your entire video.

The "Optional" Layers That Aren't Really Optional

• Camera Motion & Composition: This is HUGE. If you don't tell the camera what to do, Veo 3 will make a choice for you, & it’s usually a boring one. You need to use cinematic language. Terms like "slow dolly-in," "tracking shot following the character," "low-angle shot," or "wide establishing shot" are your new best friends. These aren't just fancy words; they are direct commands that Veo 3 understands. A "low-angle shot" makes a character feel powerful. A "slow dolly-in" creates intimacy & tension. This is how you tell a story without words.
• Ambiance & Lighting: Mood is everything, & lighting creates mood. Don't just hope for good lighting. Demand it. Use phrases like "warm, golden hour sunlight," "harsh, single-source chiaroscuro lighting," or "eerie green neon glow." This tells the AI not just what to show, but how it should feel.
• Audio: This is Veo 3’s superpower. It doesn't just make silent movies; it creates a whole soundscape. But it can't read your mind. You have to prompt for sound. Be specific!
  • Dialogue: Format it clearly, like:
    1 She whispers: “It’s not safe here.”
    And for the love of all that is holy, add
    1 (no subtitles)
    to your prompt to avoid those janky, auto-generated captions.
  • Sound Effects (SFX): Think about the ambient sounds. "The distant howl of a lone wolf," "the rhythmic clatter of a train on the tracks," "the gentle hum of a fluorescent light." These details make the world feel real.
  • Music: Describe the mood & style. "A tense, minimalist thriller score," or "an upbeat, driving electronic track."

• Weak Prompt:
  1 A sad man in a forest.
• Strong Prompt:
  1 Wide shot, in the style of a gritty indie film. A man in his 40s, wearing a soaked and torn jacket, stands motionless in a dense, fog-covered pine forest. A cold, blue-hour light filters through the trees, casting long, somber shadows. The camera is static, holding on his slumped shoulders from behind. Audio: Only the sound of a cold wind whistling through the branches and the faint, rhythmic dripping of water from leaves. No background music.

Let's Talk About a Common Frustration: Customer Communication

Why Your Prompts Are Failing: A Troubleshooting Guide

1. You're Being Too Vague (The #1 Killer). I know I'm repeating myself, but it's that important. "A beautiful sunset" is meaningless. What makes it beautiful? Is it the "vibrant orange & deep purple hues stretching across a cloud-dusted sky"? Is it the "soft, golden light reflecting on gentle ocean waves"? Specificity is your best friend.
2. Your Prompt Structure is a Mess. The order of your words matters. A good practice is to start with the big picture stuff first—like the camera shot or the overall style—before diving into the subject & action. Think of it like setting the stage before you bring in the actors. If the camera angle is critical, mention it early. If the moody lighting is the most important part, lead with that.
3. You're Not Using Cinematic Language. You wouldn't ask a professional cinematographer to "make it look cool." You'd use specific terms. Veo 3 has been trained on a massive library of films & knows this language. Using terms like "dolly zoom," "rack focus," "over-the-shoulder shot," & "J-cut" will give you an insane amount of control. Start a little glossary for yourself. It’s worth it.
4. You're Writing a Novel. While detail is good, a 500-word paragraph trying to describe ten different things happening at once will confuse the AI. Veo 3 generates short clips, usually 5-8 seconds. Keep your prompt focused on a single, clear idea or moment. Aim for about 3-6 concise sentences. If you want a longer story, you need to break it down into multiple shots, each with its own dedicated prompt.
5. You're Using Negative Phrasing. This is a classic AI mistake. Don't say "a street with no cars." The AI might latch onto the word "cars" & put them in anyway. Instead, describe what you do want to see: "an empty, deserted street." Describe the desired state, don't negate the undesired one.
6. You're Forgetting the Audio. Veo 3's audio generation is a game-changer, but it's not a mind reader. If you don't specify the sounds, you might get weird, out-of-place audio, like a random studio audience laughing during a serious scene. Always, always, always prompt for your audio, even if it's just "silence, except for the sound of wind."

Advanced Techniques to Really Level Up Your Game

• Character Consistency: This is the holy grail for anyone trying to tell a story. Getting the same character to appear across multiple shots is tough, but it's possible. The key is EXTREME detail & consistency in your character description. Write a "character sheet" for your subject & copy-paste the exact same description into every prompt for that character. For example:

  1 John, a man in his late 40s with a prominent scar over his right eyebrow, short-cropped salt-and-pepper hair, wearing a worn brown leather jacket over a faded gray t-shirt.

  The more unique the details, the better Veo 3 will be at recognizing him in the next scene.
• The Power of "Versus": Create compelling visuals by juxtaposing two contrasting ideas.

  1 A sleek, modern smartwatch sits on a rugged, ancient rock on a mountaintop.

  The contrast between technology & nature, old & new, or calm & chaos can lead to some visually stunning results.
• Write Your Prompts Externally: This is a simple but effective workflow tip. Don't type your prompts directly into the Veo 3 interface. Write them in a separate text editor. This lets you carefully craft & edit them without accidentally hitting "generate" too early. It also saves your work in case the browser crashes.
• Think in Beats: Instead of one long, complicated prompt, break your scene into smaller "beats" or moments. This is especially useful for longer actions. For example, instead of describing an entire fight sequence, prompt the first beat:

  1 A low-angle shot of two warriors circling each other, swords raised.

  Then the next beat:

  1 An extreme close-up on the hero’s determined eyes as he parries a blow.

  This gives the AI a clearer sense of pacing.

Final Thoughts: It’s a Skill, Not a Magic Wand